In the Shadow of His Heart
by ElenaVictoria
Summary: "All children, except one, grow up." That is what Jessica Harper always believed her whole life. That was until she learned that everyone, including Peter Pan, could not escape the hands of time. With endless time, and when nothing is special... what will the King of Neverland sacrifice in order to bring back the one thing he thought he lost all those years ago.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_No one ever prepares you for what happens when you die. In the movies there is often a white light that surrounds you, and your body no longer feels cold or pain. You drift away from the world around you and rise up into the heavens, where everyone who has passed before you is there waiting for you with open arms. This is what I've always thought my whole life._

"I was wrong."

* * *

_"Jessica! Jessica hurry up!"_

Jessica Harper shot out of bed with a start, her head hitting the bottom of her bunk bed. She groaned as she rubbed the bump that was quickly beginning to form at the top of her head. She turned and squinted at the clock across the room. The clock was flashing a bright red _7:45_. "Shit!"

_Why didn't the alarm go off? I know I set it right before I went to be last night!_

Jessica tumbled out of bed, grabbing her pale pink hooded pullover lying on the foot of the bed and put it over her white tank top she wore to bed. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" She glanced at the top bunk and saw that the covers were made and Miranda was out of bed already. She groaned as she ran towards her closet. "Great! Just freakin' great!" She grabbed the first pair of clean pants she found in the pile of laundry in front of the closet, the winner today was a pair of grey yoga pants, and hopped out the door as she put them on one leg at a time.

As Jessica stumbled down the stairs she saw Miranda looking at her watch as she stood by the door, her reddish brown hair held back by a bright green headband. Her outfit was a lot more polished than her thrown together laundry pile of clothes and sleepwear. Her pale green cardigan and pale orange skirt almost sparkled at the sight of it. She wondered how long she had been up and awake. She obviously had enough time to wake up, make her bed, and put on the perfect outfit for school. With the faint smell of bacon in the air, Jessica assumed that she had time for breakfast as well. Her stomach growled at the thought of bacon and eggs and a nice fluffy stack of buttermilk pancakes. She mentally hit herself as she knew that she would, once again, not have time to make herself anything to eat for lunch. She felt her stomach growl louder as she told herself that the only thing she will be eating today will be the leftover _Snickers_ bar she had at the bottom of her bag.

As Miranda wrinkled her freckled nose at the sight of Jessica stumbling to a stop at the foot of the stairs, Helen, her foster mother huffed as she grabbed her car keys off the hall table. She grabbed her briefcase on the floor and then stood in front of the hall mirror and began to straighten her collar on her button down light-blue blouse. "God dammit Jessica. This is the third time this week that this happened."

Jessica cringed as she grabbed her backpack that was on the floor at the foot of the stairs. She walked to the door and slipped on her tennis shoes. "I'm sorry… I don't know why my alarm didn't go off again. I thought I set…"

Madeline raised her hand and shook her head. "I don't want to hear it. Just get in the car…" She turned and opened the door. When Jessica paused, about to say another thing, Helen looked at Jessica with fire in her eyes. "NOW!"

As Jessica walked out of the door, her head held low with embarrassment, she could see out of the corner of her eye her foster sister Miranda smirking. Faintly Jessica thought she heard Miranda whisper, "_Way to go loser…"_

* * *

_"Jessica… get your things ready." As social worker Andrea Jimenez walked into Sunnydale Youth Home, she looked around the home, her eyes scanning the faces of the children walking by her slowly. As each one of the children walked by her, they slowed as they looked up into her eyes, searching for those words they so desperately wanted to hear. As Andrea smiled sadly at the children around her, she felt sadness as she saw how lost all these boys and girls were._

_As she walked into the girls room on the east side of the house, Andrea paused as she saw 11 year old Jessica Harper sitting Indian style on her bed, her dark brown hair pulled into a braid that hung over her shoulder. Her eyes were looking down at her hands that were slowly running her finger over the front of an old book._

_Andrea sighed as she pulled her purse off her shoulder and leaned against the door jam. As she looked at the 3 other beds in the room Andrea couldn't help the feeling of déjà vu she began to feel. She wasn't surprised since she had been in this same situation twice before. 5 years ago, Andrea was a fresh social worker on the scene. She was determined to make a difference in the lives of underprivileged and neglected children. She felt drawn to the lives of these kids and went to college with the mission of working in CPS. When she was given her very first file, she never thought that 5 years later she would still be standing here, laying her eyes on a lost girl who had no place in the world._

_Andrea walked over to Jessica and slowly sat down on the bed next to her, placing her purse on the floor next to her feet. She looked down at the book in the child's lap, already knowing what she would find. She smiled as she tucked a strand of hair behind the girl's ear._

_"Are they nice?" Jessica spoke, barely above a whisper._

_Andrea nodded as she smiled at the girl. "Yes _mija_. They're a good family. They already have successfully raised a foster son." She reached into her bag and pulled out a photo. She handed it over to Jessica and watched as she let go of her book and take the photo into both of her hands. Together they looked down at the photo of a tall beautiful woman with fiery red hair, sitting next to a handsome dark haired man on the footsteps of a gorgeous two-story white farmhouse. The couple wore matching sweaters as they smiled wide into the camera. To their right stood a teenage boy who had his arms crossed over his chest. He smiled lightly as he leaned against the railing of the stairwell. To the left of the couple sat a young girl with shoulder length red hair._

_"I'll have a sister?"_

_Andrea nodded as she stood from the bed. "Yes… she is the same age as you. You'll have a family. A _real_ family this time." When Andrea heard that this upper-middle class family was looking to adopt an older child, she thought that a miracle was placed in her lap. Parents_ _never wanted an older child. Prospective parents thought of these kids as cars in a lot. They only went for the new models with practically no mileage on them. No one wanted the older and dependable car that had a few miles. She saw more and more kids go through this system and become overlooked, to rust away. When this family came into her office looking for a child, Andrea knew immediately who would be the best fit for their family. Andrea pushed and pushed until she was able to make sure that Jessica was the one that would go to this family. If any child deserved it… then this one did. _

_Jessica looked up at Andrea, she smiled as she felt a tear fall down her cheek. "It worked."_

_Andrea tilted her head as she looked at Jessica in confusion. "What worked, _mija_?"_

_"Every night… every night I would say to myself, _'Think lovely thoughts,'_ and I would imagine myself in a good home… a home with a mother and a father and a brother and a sister. I kept thinking of the family I wanted to have…" _

_Andrea felt her vision start to blur as it became harder to swallow. She took a deep breath and smiled at the young girl. She looked up at Andrea, before grabbing her and pulling her into a tight embrace. And for the first time... Andrea felt that she finally made a difference._

* * *

As the Mercedes SUV pulled up to John Adams high school, Helen turned towards Miranda, who was sitting in the front seat, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Have a great day at school my love." Jessica cringed as she watched the exchange between mother and daughter. Everyday since she was 11 years old, ever since she was first dropped off at the Turner household, Jessica watched as mother and father doted upon their child… their real child.

Since the day Andrea Jimenez closed the door and walked out of her life, Jessica soon found out what purpose she served with her new family. Her new father, Michael Turner, was the Channing county supervisor and had his sights on making his way to the state senate. They had already had one successful foster child that was already a sophomore at the local university and they soon thought that going full with an adoption would look good with sponsors and make him into a pillar in the community. Michael was able to convince his wife, against her better judgement, to go forward and officially adopt a daughter. When Michael walked into the center and laid his eyes on Jessica, he knew that she was the one.

All she had to do was keep up appearances and they would provide for her… give her the best education… feed her only the healthiest foods… give her all the clothes she could ever need. All she had to do was keep a smile on her face and show the world how taken care of she was. Show how loved she was by this extraordinary family that decided to take her in and turn her into a modern Cinderella story. While the local papers ate up the story…

Inside Jessica was screaming.

Miranda smiled as she grabbed her backpack and opened the car door. "Goodbye mother." As the door shut Jessica rolled her eyes as she went to open her car door. As her fingertips reached the handle, she paused as she heard Helen clear her throat. She looked at Jessica through the rearview mirror, her sunglasses masking the icy look Jessica knew was behind the dark lenses. "Things are going to be different when your father…"

"Michael." Jessica looked up and met Helen's gaze in the rearview mirror. "He is not my father." Jessica felt her skin crawl at the mention of Michael Turner. That was one man that she never wanted to call father. She always kept her distance from that man since the first day she moved into her new home. She was not immune to the passing glances or his lingering pats on her back. From the way Helen treated her... she was sure that she was not blind to it either.

Helen removed her sunglasses and turned to look at Jessica. If looks could kill then Jessica would be incinerated into a hot, smoky pile of ash. Jessica sat back in her seat as she hugged her backpack against her chest. "When your _father_ is finished with his campaign and the votes are in… you better be changing your tune. Otherwise you'll be 18 in a couple years…"

"1 year… 7 months… 19 days…" Jessica clenched her jaw as she looked out the passenger window and saw Miranda standing out in front of the school. She was laughing with her group of friends as she pulled out her new bright pink coach purse. As the girls around her gasped and ran their fingers along the fabric of the bag as if it was made of gold, Miranda glanced at Jessica sitting in the back seat of the SUV.

"Are you even listening to me?"

Jessica shook herself out of her concentration and looked back at Helen. She nodded slowly. She had heard her. She heard her loud and clear.

* * *

_Jessica stood in front of her floor-length mirror as she looked over her knew outfit that her new mother gave her to wear to their first family Christmas dinner. The bright red dress sparkled with tiny sequins as the fabric seemed to float against her skin. Her fingers feathered her soft curls that she spent an hour making sure were completely perfect. Her hands lifted and straightened the red bow in her hair. She felt her body begin to cover in goose bumps as she felt her nerves overtake her. Down the hall she could hear the sounds of people coming into the home, pleasantries being exchanged as family members were reunited for the year. Jessica took a deep breath as she felt her heart begin to race._

_"Get a grip Jess…" Jessica stood up straight as she took a deep breath. She smoothed her hair with her hands before smiling in the mirror. "Let's go meet your family."_

_As Jessica raced down the hall she stopped as she reached the top of the steps. As she could hear the voices in the living room, Jessica closed her eyes and counted to three. "One… Two…"_

_"Get down here now!"_

_Jessica opened her eyes and saw her mother, Helen, standing at the foot of the steps. Jessica smiled as she jaunted down the steps. "Sorry… I was…."_

_Jessica stopped when she felt her new mother grab her arm hard and drag her the rest of the way down the steps. Jessica struggled to keep from tripping over her feet down the stairs. "Where were you? I told you to be down her a half hour ago. You were supposed to be at the door greeting everyone."_

_Jessica winced as she tried to wrench her arm out of her mother's grasp. "I'm sorry… I just wanted to look perfect for…"_

_Helen squeezed Jessica's arm tighter, causing Jessica to cry lightly in pain. "_Perfect?_ You think you're so special that you get to make your own private entrance?"_

_"Ouch… you're hurting me." Jessica felt her eyes begin to swell with tears._

_Helen leaned down so that her head was level with Jessica's. "You listen to me… you are going to go in there… smile and keep quiet. You need to know your place in this family. If you don't then you need to realize that you can be replaced."_

_Jessica's lip quivered as she looked at the woman standing in front of her… the woman she so desperately wanted to call 'mom'. "How could you say such mean things?"_

_Helen stood up straight as she let go of Jessica's arm. "It's the truth. The sooner you realize it the better." Helen took one last look at Jessica before her eyes glanced at the doorway. Helen immediately did a 180 and smiled as she placed her hand on Jessica's shoulder and turned her to face an older couple standing at the doorway. "Martha! John! It's about time you meet Jessica… the newest member of our family."_

_The older couple smiled as the went to the girl and kissed her on the cheek. They doted on the girl and told her how happy they were that she found a wonderful family, and so close to Christmas! When Jessica walked into the dining room and saw all of the guests laughing as they gathered around the large dining table, she could hear Michael calling out her name. She looked over at her new father and saw him pat his lap and hold out his hand for her to come to him._

_She smiled as she bounced over to him and placed herself on his lap. As Michael greeted his guests and made toasts to his friends and family and how he was looking forward to such a wonderful Christmas. "With this newest addition to our family..." He placed his hand along the side of Jessica's arm. "I see an addition of hope..." his hand trailed down her arm went down her hip slowly. "And an addition to great things ahead." He lifted his glass to the table. "Merry Christmas everyone! Onwards and upwards!"_

* * *

"Are you even listening to me?"

She was... well vaguely. She didn't have to hear her to know what she was saying to her. It had been the same routine everyday since she was 11 years old. Nothing had changed over the years, nor would they ever change. Jessica looked out the window and saw that her friend Jasmine had pulled up with her father in his slightly beat up Toyota. Jasmine was an only child of a military father, Sgt. Damon Jackson. Her mother ran out on them when she was about 8 years old. She bounced around from state to state until she landed in Channing county. It was on the first day of middle school that the two of them met and Jessica and Jasmine bonded and became best friends ever since.

Jessica heard Helen slam her fist on the steering wheel. "Damnit Jessica!"

"Yeah… yeah… I heard you." Jessica got out of the car and slammed the door to the SUV, causing a few students and a couple teachers to turn their heads and watched as Helen sped away. She didn't mean to be late getting up this morning. She never meant to make her upset. But the thought of her going into her accounting office upset and reeling made Jessica smile just a little.

"What was that about?" Jasmine walked up to Jessica and nodded her head towards the speeding Mercedes.

Jessica shrugged as she pulled her backpack over her shoulder. "You know… just the same old song and dance. She is just pissed that I ruined her perfect morning yet again."

Jasmine shook her head as her and Jessica began walking towards the school as the bell rang. "How can you even put up with that shit?"

Jessica shrugged as she quickened her step. "I just think happy thoughts…"

* * *

Jessica sat outside of her school on the front lawn after school let out for the day. Her back was rested against the large oak tree that provided the much-needed shade on the warm summer day. She wished that her alarm had gone off, giving her extra time to get ready. She wasn't about to take off her sweatshirt and show the entire student body her _Hello Kitty _tank top that she wore to bed. As her friend Jasmine went over in detail how unfair it is making students go through gym at school.

"What the hell good is it that we can do a mile in under 8 minutes? My GPA shouldn't suffer because it took me twice as long to run the mile."

Jessica rolled her eyes. "Well... you were the one who decided to take a break and make out with Justin Kelly behind the bleachers."

Jasmine ignored her friend and continued to rant. "What I'm saying is that this school has more important things to worry about than how fast we can run 100 yards or how many pushups we can do in a row."

"And do what Jazz... focus on reading, writing, math, science and social studies? You're already getting shit grades in that as well."

Jasmine held her head high as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Well... maybe if that was the case them maybe I wouldn't be getting shit grades! Besides... not all of us can be as smart and as athletic as you."

Jessica shook her head as she pulled out her book. "Well that's because Helen would rip me a new asshole if I got anything less." She remembered when she brought home her first report card and she had gotten a C in Science. Let's just say that her ears wouldn't stop ringing and her butt hurt for a week. Jessica sighed as she opened to a page that was bookmarked from where she left off.

_"Very well," she said, "I will do my best. Come inside at once, you naughty children;  
I am sure your feet are damp. And before I put you to bed I have just time to finish the story of Cinderella."_

As Jessica absorbed the words, over and over again, she began to let herself drift in the words of the book. As she continued to lose herself in the book, she also began to be pulled into another memory.

* * *

_"Mommy! Read me a story!" Jessica sat up in her bed as she bounced up and down in excitement. Megan Harper walked into the room, a wrapped present in her hands. As Megan sat down next to her 5 year old daughter, Jessica couldn't stop herself from reaching out and grabbing the present with her tiny, plump little hands. "Mommy! Is it for me? Gimme! Gimme!"_

_Megan smiled as she handed Jessica the wrapped present. "Yes, my angel. It is for you." Megan watched as Jessica's little hands ripped open the paper, smiling as she would graciously help her young daughter get the last of the wrapping off of. _

_When she fully uncovered the gift, Jessica held up the book in her hands and squealed with excitement. "Read me a story! Read me a story!"_

_Megan took the book in her hands and pulled back the covers of the bed and climbed in. Jessica quickly burrowed herself until she was snuggled up against her mother. It was a routine that both mother and daughter had grown accustomed to every night. Megan opened the book and flipped to the title page. As Jessica giggled with excitement, Megan looked down at her daughter. "You know Jessica... This was my favorite book growing up."_

_Jessica shook her head as she snuggled closer to her mother. She looked up at her with her big round eyes. "Really?"_

_Megan nodded as she kissed the top of Jessica's head. "Yep. And you know what's really special about this book?" Jessica shook her head as she looked up at her mother. "This book was _mine_ growing up. Now I'm giving it to you."_

_Jessica reached her hand out and touched the pages of the book lightly, as if the book was made out of precious material. Megan smiled as she watched her daughter stare at this book in wonder. "Want me to read it to you?"_

_The young girl nodded and bounced up and down next to her mother. Megan laughed as she flipped to the first page of the book. She waited for her daughter to settle down before she cleared her throat. "Chapter one. All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this…"_

* * *

Jessica closed the book and turned the book so that her fingertips were tracing over the imprinted titled on the book. As her fingers began to trace along the words, "Peter Pan," Jessica began to hear the sound of a melody playing softly in the distance. She thought that it as a curious sound, for it was nothing that she had heard before. Frequently band students would be practicing with their instruments, trying to get caught up in their studies, and the occasional douchebag with an acoustic guitar would be playing on the outskirts of school, singing to no one in particular but out in the open where everyone could see.

To Jessica, this unknown music began to call to her. Her body felt compelled to move with the music… to search high and low until she found the source. She looked at her friend Jasmine. She had changed topics to the winter dance and how she was debating between going and spiking the punch or staying at home while the two of them snuck a couple drinks out of her father's liquor cabinet.

"Last I saw he had a half bottle of Jameson in the back. There is a _tiny_ bit of Hennessey left… Anyways I think there is going to be a shark disaster movie marathon on SyFy…"

"Jazz… do you hear that?"

Jasmine stopped talking so that she could listen to the sounds around her. All she could hear were the sounds of distant murmurings and the sounds of bird chirping in the tree above her. "Hear what?"

Jessica stood from her spot, powerless to stop her body from moving. "That… music…" Her eyes searched the parking lot for the source of the music. She closed her eyes and let her hearing focus on the sweet hypnotic melodies.

"Unless you're talking about the shitty Beiber music coming from Jules' car…"

Jessica felt her body turn towards the left of the school and she smiled softly.

"Theeeeeennn I don't hear anything." Jasmine pulled out her phone from her bag and began scrolling through her music playlist. "If you want to listen to some good music… you know my love Beyonce came out with a whole new CD last night…"

Jessica's eyes opened and she focused on an oak tree in the back of the parking lot, by the main street. She could see a pair of feet lying casually in front of the boy hidden from sight, one leg was stretched out in front of him while the other was bent at the knee. Jessica began to walk swiftly over to the boy, her feet and her heart guiding her. Behind her she could hear Jasmine calling her name in the distance.

Jessica was unfazed by what her friend was yelling to her. She found that the world around her began to blacken as she felt herself being drawn closer and closer to this boy and his haunting melody. The closer she got to the tree, the faster her heart began to beat. With every step her consciousness became afraid that her heart would thump right out of her chest.

As she approached the boy, she saw that he had his head covered by his hooded sweatshirt. His eyes, down casted in the shadows as his lips became one with the flute he was playing. As Jessica inched closer to the boy, she could see the corner of his mouth lift into the littlest hint of a smile. His beautiful song began to change slightly… the pace quickened and her body began to involuntarily sway to the music. She moaned softly as she could feel the music penetrate her body and flow through her veins with hot electricity.

"What is that music? It feels… it feeeeels…" Her body began to vibrate with ever note that came out of the flute. She began to feel warmth in places that she had never felt before. Her lips parted as another soft moan left her lips.

The boy paused as he chuckled softly. "Amazing isn't it?" He resumed playing the music and Jessica let her head fall back as she let her body freely move with the music. The boy closed his eyes as he lifted his head, allowing Jessica a better look at the boy playing the enchanting music. His features we soft and young… but the way the boy sat casually against the tree… and the way his mouth moved over the flute with such delicate and almost sensuous movement… Jessica could sense that this boy was older than he looked. She found him more than attractive. She found the boy completely alluring and magnetic. As she watched his fingers feather the instrument, she began to feel a sense of familiarity in the boy. As her body began to slow with the more she studied his all too familiar features, Jessica began to reach out towards the boy. "Do I…? Have we met before?"

The boy lowered his head once more, shielding his eyes from view. "You and I… we seem to be one in the same."

Jessica felt a shiver run down her spine as she listened to the boy speak. He spoke in such a cold and mischievous voice that seemed filled with dark thoughts and cruel intentions. She began to imagine that if snakes had voices then they would sound like the boy sitting in front of her. She felt that if he wanted, he could ensnare her and crush her into dust, with little to no effort. Although she felt afraid... she couldn't help but be drawn to him. She looked around and saw that the students around her seemed to be completely unaware of her talking with this strange boy. They walked past her as if she was nothing but a leaf in the wind. Jessica's eye's narrowed. "Why can no one else hear your music?"

She could see his smile appear on the corner of his lips once more. "You see… this instrument." He ran his fingertips along the smooth edges of his flute slowly. "It calls to people. It calls to _special_ people who only want one thing in this world."

Jessica took a step closer to the boy. _God why do I feel like I've met him before?_ "And what is it that they want?"

The boy put the flute back up against his mouth, his tongue lightly moistening his lips. Jessica felt her back arch and her mouth part slightly at the tantalizing sight. The boy seemed to be aware of his affect on her and seemed to smile wider. "To not be filled with loneliness…" The flute pressed against his lips and his music began to play, this time with more fervor. As the melody quickened and the music became more electric, Jessica began to fill with laughter as she found herself twirling around in circles. The faster the boy played… the faster she spun. She felt her head begin to spin but she could not stop her feet from moving. She spun and spun until she fell to the ground right in front of the boy's feet. Jessica began to bubble with laughter. She giggled and laughed until she felt the air begin to leave her lungs. As she began to calm and her heart began to slow down she noticed that the music had stopped. She turned and looked up at the boy and saw that his eyes were no longer hidden from his hood. When he looked down at her, his bright green eyes bore into her core. She felt her body begin to tingle as the boy stared at her with a mixture of shock and confusion.

He let his flute fall to his lap and she felt herself sit up so that she was sitting face to face with the boy in front of her. She felt herself begin to turn red from the burning look he was giving her. Jessica cleared her throat. "Are… are you okay?"

The boy lifted his hand and reached out to her. He paused, as his skin was about to touch the side of her face. Jessica glanced down at his hand and saw that the boy had begun to shake slightly. His snakelike demeanor had slithered away and in its place she could see the look of a mournful and scared boy—the look of a boy who had seen a ghost. Jessica could feel his calloused fingertips trail against her cheek softly before trailing along the side of her neck to take a few strands of her hair into his hand. His rough hands were barely a whisper against her soft, smooth skin. With every move, the boy's hand would shutter with apprehension, as if she was a porcelain doll that would break with the slightest touch. The boy's hand trailed back up to her cheek as he took a deep breath. "Katarina?"

Jessica furrowed her brow. "Who?"

_"Jessica!"_

Jessica turned and saw her friend Jasmine running towards her. She had both of their backpacks slung over her shoulder. "Jessica! What the hell are you doing? You just left me with all your stuff!"

Jessica shook her head and turned back towards the boy sitting at the tree, completely ignoring her friend. "Who is..." She turned and saw that she was now alone in front of the tree. The boy completely vanished into thin air. "…Katarina?"

Jasmine shook her head as she tossed Jessica her backpack. "Why the hell did you run off like that?"

Jessica stood and looked around the area. "Do you see him?" She watched as students would run to their parent's minivans and sedans and get into the passenger side. Some students stood in crowds at the front of the school as they laughed and continued to speak of the day's events. She saw Miranda walking down the steps of the school with her friends from earlier in the morning. She saw the same familiar faces that she saw on a daily basis. She just didn't see his.

Jasmine put her hands on her hips. "See who?"

"The boy… the one who was playing the music!" Jessica ran around the tree… hoping to see any signs of the mysterious boy with the flute. "He was right here!"

Jasmine crossed her arms over her chest. "I have no idea who you're talking about. One minute we were talkin' and the next you get up and run towards this tree!" She shook her head and pointed her finger at Jessica. "Girl… I need to hook you up. You can't be goin' around dreaming up imaginary men…"

"But he wasn't Jazz!" She exasperated. "I'm not imagining anything!" She pointed to the base of the tree. "He was right here!" Jessica ran her fingers through her hair as her mind puzzled over the last few minutes she spent with this mysterious boy. She knows she hadn't seen him before but she couldn't help but feel as if she had known him. It felt like it was from a dream.

Jasmine sighed as she walked up to her friend. "Jess… I didn't see anyone." As Jasmine ran her hand along her friend's back, the two of them were startled by the sound of a car horn in the distance.

"Jessica! Get in the car now!"

Jessica groaned in irritation and snatched up her bag and began to walk away towards the SUV. As Jessica passed Jasmine, she felt her best friend grab onto her arm lightly, stopping her mid-stride. "Jess... if you need a place to stay..."

Jessica shook her head as she smiled. "Nah..." She tilted her head towards the SUV and shrugged. "She doesn't phase me. I am perfectly fine..."

Suddenly she felt all the breath in her lungs leave her as Jasmine took her into a tight hug. As Jessica stood there awkwardly, her best friend continued to hold onto her friend tighter. After a moment, Jessica felt herself giving in to her friend and let herself melt into her friend's embrace. As the two of them stood there, all the words that either of them wanted to say to one another went completely unsaid. "I love you Jess..."

Jessica tried not to unravel as she held onto her best friend tighter. "I love you too Jazz..."

"JESSICA!" She turned and looked towards the car and saw that Miranda was sitting in the front seat of the car with a smug look on her face. She pulled away from Jasmine and smiled before saying goodbye to her friend and jogged to the SUV.

* * *

High up in the trees, a hooded figure watched as the girl opened the car door and hopped into the backseat. The sounds of the mother talking sharply to her made his blood buzz with a quiet anger. When he went to the world without magic, he went in the hopes of finding some new recruits. He was getting tired of the same boys... the same boys that provided no challenge. It had been a long time since he brought anyone new to Neverland and he felt that it was time for a change... and a challenge.

When he walked until he found the school, he felt compelled to sit by the tree and see what types of boys would fall into his net. To his surprise, however, he was not met with a young boy... but that of a girl. Although he was disappointed that this trip was a bust... he decided to take advantage of the situation and have a bit of fun. After all... being alone on an island with a bunch of boys made Peter a little wound tight.

When the tone of his music changed and the girl moaned with delight, he felt his own body begin to fill with excitement. With every note of his sensual melody, the woman swayed her body more and more. He smirked as the woman was definitely to his liking. As his tune sped up and the girl spun and spun until she collapsed by his feet, Peter knew that he had her within his trap.

That was until she looked up at him through her chestnut brown locks. Those familiar doe eyes looked up at him, her plump lips parted slightly as her breath came out in deep, shallow pulls. For the first time in over 50 years... Peter felt his heart sink into his stomach. He felt as if all the lost boys chained him up and in unison, punched his stomach.

If Peter didn't know any better... he would have assumed she was really Katarina. But he knew that she couldn't be. He watched the light leave her eyes all those years ago.

As he watched the SUV drive away, he felt a gust of wind blow up next to him. "Find her." Pan's shadow floated in the air next to him, looking down upon the car as it turned the corner and out of sight. Pan ran his fingertips along his pipe and like his mouth turn into a smirk, and a mischievous gleam in his eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Wow guys :) Thank you so much for everyone who reviewed! I did not expect such good words from so many people! I look forward to taking this journey with you.

* * *

Jessica sat at the large dining room table. It felt awkward that they four of them sat at a table that normally would seat twelve. Although they had a smaller table in the kitchen, the Turner's made it a point to eat every night in the lavish dining room. As she absentmindedly pushed around the asparagus on her plate, she listened to Miranda go over all the extraordinarily uneventful and mundane events of her day at school. From the surprise pop quiz that she received in Math class to the funny joke that one of her friends told during lunch, Helen ate up every word that her precious daughter uttered. Michael smiled at his daughter and praised her between bites. Jessica rested her elbow on the table and held her head in her hands, feeling the start of a headache coming on.

"Elbows..."

Jessica looked up and saw that Helen was looking at her as she used her knife an fork to delicately cut into the perfectly cooked piece of roasted chicken breast. Jessica sighed as she took her elbow of the table and dropped her fork on her plate. As she was about to get up from the table, Helen cleared her throat.

"Excuse me... you have not been excused from the table." Helen took a piece of chicken and took a bite of the tender and juicy piece of meat. "You haven't even taken a bite of your meal."

Jessica sat back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not hungry."

Michael leaned forward from the head of the table and put his hand on top of Jessica's. "Now honey... your mother spent a good amount of time on this wonderful meal. Why don't you be a good girl and just take a few more bites..."

Jessica snatched her hand out from under Michael's. She tried to hide the disgust from her face as she looked back and forth between Helen and Miranda. Helen clenched her jaw, her hand squeezing her fork and knife firmly. Jessica put her hand in her lap and looked down at her plate. "I just don't really have an appetite." As she looked down at her plate, her stomach growled, giving away her lie. She sighed. "I wasn't feeling good today at school... my head is throbbing and I think I just want to lie down for a bit."

"Don't you think you slept enough for today?" Miranda muttered under her breath. Jessica looked at her and shook her head. She didn't understand why Miranda didn't wake her up when she got up to get ready for school. She knew that she had wanted to be on time. It was almost as if she... _No..._ Jessica raised her eyebrows as she started to see Miranda in a new light.

Jessica leaned forward in her seat and smirked slightly. "You know... it's funny, Miranda. I distinctly remember turning my alarm clock on last night." Jessica twirled her knife between her fingers as she gauged Miranda's reaction.

Miranda looked down and began to nervously push around the food that was on her plate. Jessica felt her blood pressure begin to rise and it became all too clear why she was continuously oversleeping. "It's almost as if... I don't know... someone keeps turning it off."

Helen slammed her knife on the table. "And just what are you implying?" Helen stepped into the conversation and placed her hand on the table. Her fingers tensed as she subtly gripped the table.

Jessica shrugged. "I'm not implying anything... I'm just saying that it is very curious." Jessica took her napkin from her lap and put it on her plate. She stood, and without waiting to be excused from the table, Jessica grabbed her plate and left the dining room. She dumped her plate angrily into the kitchen sink and then jogged up the stairs into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

She placed her head in her hands and leaned her body back against the door. She thumped her head against the door and took a few deep breaths, trying desperately to calm herself. She stood there for a few moments before walking over to her bed and letting herself fall face first into the bottom bunk, letting her head hit the pillows with a thud. She moved her arms so that they were placed on either side of her head. She pressed the pillow tightly against her face and let herself scream as loud as she could. She felt herself expel all of her frustrations and tried to get all of her anger to leave her body. She wanted to close her eyes and go back to when she was 5 years old and happy. She wanted to go back to when she had a real family. Not this poor excuse for a home. She screamed until her screams became sobs and she cried until her eyes became too heavy for her to keep open. She could feel her tears continuing to fall down her cheeks as her sobs turned into quiet mewls. It wasn't long until sleep took her in his arms and whisked her away to the land of dreams.

* * *

_"No Peter... We want to live in Barbie's dream house... not in that stupid tree outside." The little girl began to speak in a deeper voice. "But Wendy... I don't want to. I want to live outside and be with the lost boys." She went back to her normal voice. "No Peter... we are going to get married and live in the house and have 3 kids and a nice big fluffy dog."_

_Amanda watched as little Jessica played with her dolls in the living room. As she mindlessly channel surfed, she kept glancing at the clock. The clock on the wall let her know that Megan and Daniel were an hour late in coming home from their dinner party for Daniel's firm. She sighed as she picked up her cell phone and pressed 'redial.' Every time the phone would go straight to voicemail._

_"Just great..." She only had about an hour or two before she had to be home. She had wanted to see her boyfriend Nate before heading back home for curfew. She tossed the phone on the couch beside her and looked over at the little girl playing with her toys._

_"Oh Peter... I love you." The girl cleared her throat and began to speak deeper. "I love you too Wendy. Let's have babies." The little girl pressed the faces of the two dolls together and made a loud kissing noise. "Oh Peter! I'm having a boy." The little girl giggled with excitement._

_Amanda laughed as she shook her head. "What a weirdo..." She loved that little girl, but sometimes it worried her how fast she was growing up. She felt her phone vibrate on the couch next to her. She smiled as she saw the name on the phone. She picked it up on the third buzz. "Hey babe... No, I'm still here..." She turned down the music on the television. "I have no idea where they are..." Amanda looked up at the clock. "They should be home any minute now..."_

Ding-Dong

_"Ah! Finally!" Amanda bounced off the couch and ran towards the door. She opened the door and was face to face with two policemen. Amanda's face fell as she saw one of the officer's take off his hat. She felt her heart stop as she looked at the mournful look the man had on his face. She brought the cell phone up to her ear. "Nate... I'm going to have to call you back..."_

* * *

Jessica sighed as she felt her headache dissolve with every moment she rested on her bed. She could feel her muscles relax as she sighed again. She could feel the muscles in her neck and back melt away all the tension that was store in them. The light massages felt good as she let herself drown in the firm but gentle movements on her body.

Her eyes flew open.

Jessica gasped as she turned around and pressed herself up against the corner of her bunk bed. She felt trapped as she locked eyes on Michael. He held up his hands as he put is finger on his lips, instructing her to be quiet. Jessica felt herself tremble as she felt like a gazelle... waiting for the hungry lion to strike. "Wh-wh-what the hell are you doing?"

"I came in here to see if you wanted any more food." He nodded to the plate of food and glass of milk on the desk by her bed. "I was going to leave the food on your desk but I saw that you looked like you were really tense... so I just wanted to relax you for a bit."

"You don't touch me..." She pointed her finger at him. "You don't touch me... ever."

Michael laughed as he held his hands up. "Okay... calm down... I shouldn't have. I know how you get when you and Helen go at it." He sat up from the bed and walked around the room slowly, looking at everything in the room. His eyes surveyed all the clothes and books all over the floor. He paused at a picture of her at her 8th grade graduation that was sitting on a wall shelf. He picked up the picture and held it in his hands. "You really have grown into a really beautiful young woman."

Jessica eyed the door to the bedroom as she stayed pressed against the wall to her room. She wondered where Miranda and Helen were and if they knew if Michael was up here "checking" in on her. She could feel her heart start to beat faster as she watched Michael put the frame back on the shelf. He turned towards the bed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Do you like what we've given you?"

Jessica eyed him, not sure what answer he was looking for. She didn't know whether to say what she figured he wanted to hear or what she wanted to say to him. That she hated this life that she was given. That she hated living in this home where she was despised, resented, and lusted after. That she would stay up until the sun almost rose praying for release from this prison. That she wished she had the courage to take the step and end her misery. Those were all the things that she wished to say. But she knew how to play the game... and so she told him what he wanted to hear. "Yes. I appreciate everything that you and your family have done for me."

Michael smiled as he walked to the bed and knelt in front of it. He held out his hand and caressed the side of her face slowly. "Remember that... always." He gave her one long look before standing and walking out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him softly.

* * *

"He what?" Jasmine sat across from Jessica in the quad at their high-school. The look on her face was filled with revulsion and indignation. She didn't want to burden her friend with the events that have been happening at her home. She tried to take the burden on her own. To find a way through the pain and hold out long enough until she went away to college and escaped like their first foster child, Tucker did. She would go to a school clear across the country and then bury the past and walk ahead into her future. She thought she could be strong enough. That was... until last night. "Jess... what else has he done?"

Jessica cringed as she looked around at the students walking around her. "Shh... Please be quiet..."

"Be quiet?" Jasmine exclaimed loudly as she looked at Jessica with bewilderment. "I'm sorry Jess... but you've been quiet for way too long. Why don't you call the police? Call your social worker?"

Jessica shook her head as she began to pack up her lunch. "This was a mistake..." She began to feel remorse for everything that she told her best friend. She knew that it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair to put this burden on her. This was her burden to bear. Jasmine already had enough to worry about in her life. Living with a single military father who preferred a glass of whiskey over spending a day with his daughter. Having to live every day knowing that her mother decided to walk out on both her and her father. She had enough skeletons in her closet... there was no room for hers in their as well. "Just forget what I said..."

Jasmine sighed as she took her friend's hands in hers. "Jess... look... I'm sorry." She pulled her friend in close for a hug. She started to feel regret for pushing her friend too hard. The two sat there in each other's arms while the student body went about their lives, blissfully unaware of the world crumbling around them. Jasmine pulled away and looked at Jessica with a determined look in her eye. "Live with me..."

Jessica shook her head in disbelief. "I can't..."

Jasmine ignored her friend and stood. "No... you're staying with me. We can start by telling them that you're going to spend the night because of the winter dance. Tell them that you were going to go with me and then spend the weekend at my house."

Jessica thought about the possibility of escaping for the weekend. But then what? She couldn't stay at Jasmine's house forever. What if her father starts asking questions? Worse... what if Helen and Michael start asking questions? What if they start bulldozing through Jasmine... her father... and everyone else who felt the need to help her. "Jazz... trust me. I'm fine. I'll be fine."

Jasmine shook her head as she held out her hand for Jessica. "Come on..." Her eyes searched Jessica's. She searched for any fight left in them. She prayed that she would see the light at the end of the tunnel and that all hope was not lost. She wished that he friend had trusted her sooner. "Please Jessica... let me help you. Have faith..." Jasmine held out her hand for her best friend.

Jessica continued to sit as she looked up at her friend. She saw the truth in her friend's eyes. She didn't see pity in her eyes. She saw the path she so desperately wanted to take... that she needed to take. She just hoped that it was the right path. She took her friends hand into hers and stood. "Faith..."

* * *

The roaring fire that was in the middle of the lost boy camp in Neverland blazed high into the clouds. Peter Pan sat at the edge of the camp, his back rested against the large tree as he played his flute lazily... uninterested in the throng of lost boys, whooping and laughing as they danced maniacally around the great fire. Every night Pan would play for his boys. Every night they would dance around the fire, forgetting more and more about their former lives. And every night he would become more and more annoyed as he watched those kids's brains turn into mush. There was a time when he only needed to play his flute once. It only took Pan one time and any child within range who could hear his music, became his. They would immediately swear their loyalty to him and would quickly forget all of their fears and strife.

However... things were changing in Neverland. The changes were small at first. It started with Nibs crying softly in the night. When Peter questioned why he was crying and disturbing his sleep... the boy couldn't explain what made him cry out in the night. He only said that he began to feel a sense of longing... a small stab of loneliness. He questioned that possibly something was missing in his life. Peter decided that the best cure for his woes was to go "fishing" in Mermaid Lagoon.

While the boys terrorized the local sea life, Pan took to the skies. As he soared around Neverland, he let himself drift into thought. He began to wonder if this was just a fluke... or if something was amiss. After the third lost boy uttered the word, _"Mommy..."_ in his sleep, Pan decided that it was time to take action. He went to the one place he hadn't been since he first came to Neverland... when his shadow lead him to Skull rock and showed him the price he paid for prolonged life. When Pan made his way to skull rock, his eyes tried not to drift towards the large reminder that his time was running out on Neverland. The giant hourglass glowed in the cavernous room. It was a monument… a harsh reminder that no one, not even Peter Pan, could escape the hands of time. As Pan ambled around the cave, he waited patiently for the answer to his question. It didn't take long for his shadow to appear.

Pan pulled out his flute and threw it onto the ground in front of his shadow. Pan glared at the shadow and pointed to the instrument. "Why isn't _this_ working?"

The shadow continued to hover above Pan, his eyes glowing as it watched the boy grow more and more frustrated. The shadow, clouded in darkness, never revealed its true feelings because all shadows were made up of mystery and the unknown. It was not in their nature to harbor any type of emotion. Pan grew angrier as he felt that the shadow was mocking his frustrations. The shadow continued to float in the air as it began to speak deeply. "Your flute is not the problem..."

Pan began to lose his patience with the shadow. Pan began to shout, hoping to get some kind of rise out of it. "Then what _is_ that problem?"

The shadow began to circle around the boy, slow and steady. Its glowing eyes locked on Pan's. "Your magic is growing more and more faint... as your time starts to run out... so does your magic."

"Do you know how to make sure that _this_..." Pan pointed to the hourglass, still refusing to look at the stark reminder of his time in Neverland. "...isn't a problem?"

The shadow slowed in its circling before it nodded once.

"Well then... OUT WITH IT!" Peter yelled, his voice echoing throughout the cave.

The shadow flew so that its glowing eyes were but mere inches from Pan's. "It will come with a price..."

Pan began to become agitated and impatient as he stepped closer towards the shadow. He could feel desperation pouring out of his body the more he spoke. "Anything... now _tell me!"_

The shadow's eyes began to glow brighter, causing Pan to shield his eyes from the bright light. "You will need the heart of the _truest_ believer in a land without magic..."

Pan smiled wickedly as he brought his hands together. It seemed like a small price to pay for the thing he wanted most. Followers... loyalty... a brotherhood... a family… The lost boys were his family and he was not willing to give that up. After everything he sacrificed... after _everything_ he did to ensure his future. Pan had no problem in sacrificing the heart of one for his own greater good. Pan was by far ready to do whatever it took. "Who is this believer? Where is he?"

The shadow shook its head as its eyes began to dim. "That... I do not know. That is something that you will have to figure out on your own."

And with that his shadow disappeared, leaving Pan to go forth on his mission. When he returned back to camp, Pan made finding the _truest believer_ the lost boys' top priority… their most important mission. While Peter went to the land without magic and brought back child after child... the lost boys went on gathering as much information from these boys that they could gather... through whatever means necessary. With every cry and with every scream that filled Pan's ears throughout the night, Pan began to beam wider and wider as he knew that he was getting closer to finding the _one_.

After years of searching... years of questioning... years of hope and determination fueling his quest for immortality… after years of hitting dead end after dead end… for the first time since coming to Neverland, Pan began to feel hopeless. As his magic started to fade... Pan started to lose the one thing that he never thought was possible to lose. He was beginning to lose his faith. Pan kept his mischievous spirit up while he was in front of the lost boys. He would laugh with them, play games, and roughhouse with them during the day, and at night he would take over and let the boys lose all control under the power of his music.

While his brothers would lose themselves in the music, Pan would retreat into himself, wondering where he went wrong. As his mind went over and over all of the decisions he had made, an image of Katarina flashed through his mind in an instant. Pan clenched his jaw, wavering in his flute playing. Since the moment Pan left the world without magic, Pan waited for news from his shadow. He wanted to know more about this girl… the one who was made in Katarina's image. For a brief moment Pan had hoped... hoped that a miracle had happened. He had hoped that she was who he wanted her to be.

But when his shadow had returned with information on the girl, on Jessica Harper, Pan pushed the thoughts of Katarina back into the darkest part of his heart, hidden from everyone, including himself.

_"Pan!"_

Peter looked up from his flute and saw his most loyal lost boy, Felix, running towards him, in his hand was a hatchet. As the boy drew closer, Pan beamed as he saw blood spattered on his scarred face. To Pan... it was truly a feast for his eyes. Pan continued to sit nonchalantly as he watched Felix run until he was standing right in front of Pan, a look of triumph and excitement in the boy's eyes. Pan leaned back against the tree he was propped up against and let his hands rest behind his head. Pan smirked as he nodded his head towards Felix. "Say it..." Pan spoke calmly, even though he was beginning to boil over with his own jubilation. He knew what was about to come out of the boy's mouth. He could feel it... could sense it the moment Felix spoke his name. That time had finally come... and even though Pan knew it... he wanted to hear it for himself.

Felix grinned as he looked at his leader with crazed exhilaration. "We found him."

Pan's smile grew wide as Pan felt his spirits rejuvenate to it's fullness. All of Pan's worries and all of his fears dissipated. He reached into his pouch and pulled out the drawn picture he had gotten years ago. He looked down at the photo of the boy. He had spent many nights gazing at this picture. He studied every nuance of this child's face since he was given that picture that fateful night where Pan got his very first lead. As Pan gazed at the drawing, the one thing that did not escape Pan's eyes was the look of belief that the boy exuded in his stare. Pan stood slowly and sauntered towards the smoldering fire. The lost boys moved from Pan and stood around him, awaiting his next words. Pan stood in front of the sweltering blaze. He closed his eyes as he let the warmth from the fire radiate through his body, his excitement growing with every passing moment. Pan rapidly spun towards the boys and raised the picture in the air. Pan leaned back as he let out a loud roar of triumph. He floated in the air as he began to laugh and fly around the campsite with elation.

The boy's took Pan's cue and started to whoop and cheer. The sounds of excitement was music to Pan's ears as he continued to fly around the campsite. As Pan soared away from the campsite and towards the stars, Pan began to see his all of his plans coming to fruition. Soon Pan would have what he most desired in the world.

* * *

Jessica walked through the front door of her house and let her bag fall to a thud on the ground by the door. She groaned as she pulled off her shoes and let her feet breathe. Since Jessica was not quite ready to go home so soon after school, she had decided that she needed to stay after school a little longer than necessary in order to catch up with her studies. When she had expressed her plans to Helen, she then told Jessica that she was on her own in finding a ride home. She gratefully agreed since she wanted to get ahead on some of her work, and not to mention the fact that the last place she wanted to be was at home. As Jessica stretched the arches of her feet, she was beginning to regret staying in the library that extra hour. The hour and a half long walk home was not her finest hour. Especially since that last mile was completely uphill. She took a deep breath as she wiped the sweat off her brow.

Jessica sighed as she made her way towards the stairs. She could smell the fragrant aroma of dinner stewing in the kitchen. Her mouth began to water as she thought of the spaghetti bubbling on the stove and the garlic bread warming in the oven. As her foot was about to land on the first step, Miranda snaked around the corner of the hallway.

"Did you just get home?" Miranda eyed her up and down, her lip curled into a sneer as she looked at the sweat dripping slowly along Jessica's skin.

Jessica sighed loudly as she started to walk up the steps. She was not in the mood for getting into an altercation with Miranda. It wasn't worth her time and frankly... she didn't think she had any energy left in her to give Miranda what she wanted. So Jessica decided to walk up the stairs without giving her the satisfaction of getting under her skin. As Jessica was about to turn at the top of the stairs, Miranda called up to her.

"Dinner in 10! Don't make us wait for you!"

Jessica waved her hand in the air as she dismissed her. She knew what time dinner was. She didn't need an alarm to make sure she got ready in time. When she reached the end of the hall, she walked into the bathroom and slammed the door. The sound of the shower turning on echoing in the room.

* * *

Michael cleared his throat as he sat at the head of the table. The four of them sat at the magnanimous dining room table and bowed their heads as they began to say grace. "All that we have is a gift. May we be thankful. May we celebrate. May we share." Michael raised his scotch glass and held it out towards Jessica. Helen held her glass in the air, her mouth smiling, but her eyes giving away her true feelings of distaste. Miranda sat low in her chair, her head held low and her hands placed heavily in her lap. Michael continued to grin at Jessica, his eyes locking onto her own gaze, making her body shudder in nervousness. "We give thanks to _you_ Jessica... and all that you have brought to our family." He tilted his glass towards hers before taking a long sip of his scotch.

Michael sat his glass down on the table. As Helen began to take a bite of her dinner, Michael rested his arm on the table. He turned his body so that he was facing Jessica. "How long have we been your foster parents?"

Jessica looked back and forth between Michael and Helen. She had no idea why they were bringing up how long she has been under their care. She sat in her chair, taking her time as she continued to look back and forth between the two. She didn't need to think hard for the answer. She was completely aware that she had been living with them for a little over 5 years. She will never forget the day she left the youth home and moved into this gilded nightmare. She cleared her throat before answering. "5 years..."

"5 years!" Michael exclaimed as he turned towards Helen. "Can you believe it?... 5 years we have been blessed with this beautiful girl's presence." Helen clenched her jaw tightly before she shook her head and gave her husband the most perfect million dollar smile. A smile that Jessica was sure she had perfected over the years. Michael gave a boisterous laugh as he turned back towards Jessica. "I will never forget laying eyes on your picture that very first time we went searching for another child. Who would have thought that we would have found a daughter just as special as our own."

Jessica looked from Michael and focused her gaze on Miranda, who was surprisingly quiet this whole dinner. Her head continued to hang low as she continued to have her hands in her lap. Jessica noticed that Miranda had yet to take a bite of her food, her utensils sitting clean on her unopened napkin. Jessica kept her gaze on Miranda, taking note of the tension in the girl's face and the slight reddening of her cheeks. From across the table, Jessica could swear that she could feel the sting of her anger seeping from her pores.

"What do you say, Jess?" Michael nudged her hand.

Jessica shook her head as she looked back at Michael in confusion. She immediately realized that Michael had been talking the whole time she was watching Miranda and she had completely missed his entire conversation. "Say to what?"

Michael laughed incredulously and took her hand in his. "The adoption process was finalized today."

Jessica felt as if she was punched in the gut. "What?"

He ran his fingertips across her skin slowly. "The judge finally awarded us all legal rights and responsibilities. It is official. You're officially my daughter."

Jessica sat dumbfounded as her heart sank into her stomach. She started to shudder as she felt her world erupting around her. She turned her head towards Helen. She looked at her with disbelief and fear in her eyes. She did not want this. Helen did not want this, she knew it for a fact. When she lived with this family, she had figured that with all the opposition from Helen and Miranda, she would never be adopted into this family... and she was fine with that. She would just coast as a foster child until she was 18 years old until she would be thrown out of the foster system and into the real world. She kept telling herself that this was not her family. That she had nothing shackling her to these people. That she could make a clean break and never look back. She continued to look at Helen, silently screaming at her. Asking her over and over why didn't she fight harder. Why did she let this happen. _How _could she let this happen.

She felt Michael squeeze her hand, bringing her attention back to him. It took all of her willpower to not rip her hand out of his and run away from this table screaming. Jessica looked to the man who was now officially her father. Her stomach lurched at the thought of belonging to this loathsome man. He held her hand tighter as he continued to give her a harsh smile. "What do you say?"

Jessica took a deep breath before taking a page in Helen's book and gave him her most perfect smile. "Can I be alone for a few moments? I...I need some time to process such great news."

Michael took her hand and pulled it towards his lips, kissing her skin softly. "Of course."

Jessica continued to smile as she pulled away from the table and left the dining room. She walked calmly down the hall until she reached the bottom of the stairs. She waiting until she was out of sight before she took off into a sprint as she ran up the steps and bounded down the hall, shutting the door behind her. Jessica stood in the middle of her room, her body shaking as her heart thumped faster and faster with every passing moment. She searched around her room until she found her duffle bag on the floor. Jessica hastily grabbed it and threw it on her bed. She ran to her closet and began stuffing her bag full with clothes. As she stuffed her bag with clothes, Jessica grabbed her phone and went to her favorites, calling the only number that she had saved on the list.

"Jazz... I need you to come get me... I'm fine just..." Jessica could feel tears start to fill her eyes. She listened as Jasmine questioned her, trying to figure out what had happened. "Please Jazz... just come get me." Jasmine immediately hung up the phone and Jessica zipped up her bag as she let herself fall back on her bed. She turned onto her side so that she was curled up against her pillow. She felt tears trail down her cheeks softly, her breath coming in long shallow pulls.

Jessica closed her eyes. She turned her head so that she was buried in the pillow. Her hand brushed along the cover of her mother's book. She sat up as she pulled the book out from underneath her pillow and looked at the old and worn. She looked at the frayed edges. The corners darkened from all the times her fingers thumbed through the pages. Every time she read the words to herself, it wasn't her voice that she heard. Instead she heard the voice of her mother. This book was the one thing that kept her from forgetting. As long as she held this book in her hands, she would always remember the way she felt in her mother's arms, falling asleep to her voice every night. She would close her eyes and believe that once again she was with her mother, that she was with her family again.

She sat up in her bed, clutching her book to her chest. She looked out the window and looked to the night sky. She looked to the twinkling stars. As she gazed over the sea of twinkling lights, her eyes focused on a pair of bright stars, shining brighter than the rest. The voice of her mother began to echo in her mind.

_"Do you know remember how to get to Neverland?"  
__"Yes mommy! Second star to the_ right!"  
_"That's right, my sweet angel. Second star to the right and straight on 'till morning."_

For a moment, if Jessica concentrated enough, she could feel her mother's touch on her shoulder. She could feel her mother sitting behind her, cradling her in her arms. If closed her eyes and believed, her mother would be right with her. She just needed to believe it. Jessica opened her eyes and looked towards the pair of bright twinkling stars and whispered softly. "I believe..." She closed her eyes as she took a deep breath.

She didn't flinch when the bedroom door slammed open. "_You..."_

Jessica looked up and saw Miranda standing at the door to the bedroom. She could see the steam billowing out of her ears and the dark hatred blazing through her eyes. She walked up to Jessica and stood right in her face. _"Why you?"_ Miranda hissed as she clenched her firsts to her sides. When Jessica didn't respond, Miranda screamed louder. "WHY YOU!"

Jessica was about to yell back at Miranda. She was about to scream that she didn't want any of this. She didn't want any of them. She wanted to strangle Miranda and hurt her in the same way that she was hurt. She wanted to do all those things. But the moment Jessica opened her mouth to speak her window blasted open, causing the glass window to shatter. As the glass pieces flew through the room, a dark figure flew into the room, causing Miranda to fall back onto the floor, screaming in alarm.

Jessica screamed as the creature flew into the room, turning to look at her. As she scrambled to get away from the creature, the glowing eyes locked onto hers. The creature shot out it's hand and locked onto her arm hard, pulling her off of the bed and dragging her across the floor. Jessica looked at Miranda, who was sitting in the middle of the floor, her hands and knees cut up from the broken glass. She was utterly petrified and overcome with shock. Jessica pulled against the creature that was pulling her towards the window. She screamed to Miranda for help. "Please! Miranda... PLEASE! HELP ME! DON'T LET IT TAKE ME!"

Miranda crawled towards her, pushing herself off of the ground and ran towards the creature. Just as she was about to grab it, the dark creature stuck out it's hand and, as if by magic, propelled Miranda across the room. She flew across the room and slammed into the wall. A loud crack echoed the room as she made contact with the hard surface. She fell to the ground with a loud thud, completely knocked unconscious from the hit.

Jessica turned towards the creature and began hitting the monster with her fists. The closer she got to the window, the harder she pounded on the creature. The creature grabbed her arm tight as it looked down at her, it's glowing eyes haunting her to her core. The creature then turned it's head and flew out of the window, dangling Jessica by her arm. Jessica looked down towards the ground and grasped tightly on the creature taking her into the night. She could see Jasmine pull up to her house in her father's Toyota. She opened the door and ran out of the. She looked up into the sky with disbelief in her eyes as she watched the dark figure carry Jessica higher and higher into the sky.

As Jessica heard Jasmine's screams growing fainter and fainter, she turned and looked towards the direction they were flying. Her eyes locked on the spot directly in front of their flight path. Her eyes focused once again on the two twinkling stars, growing closer and closer with each passing moment. As Jessica started to feel herself drift out of consciousness, the last thing she heard was the sound of her mother's voice.

_"That's right, my sweet angel. Second star to the right and straight on 'till morning."_


	3. Chapter 3

Jessica groaned as she turned in her sleep. Her back was sore and her neck was stiff. She could no longer feel the plush pillow beneath her head. She sighed as she curled her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her body as she began to shiver slightly from the cold breeze that was prickling her skin. _I need to shut that window next time_. She reached down for her duvet, groaning once more as her hands stretched across her body, trying to reach onto the edge of the blanket. When her hands failed to reach her much needed covering, Jessica groaned one last time as she pulled her legs closer to her chest—trying to warm her body from the cold.

As she burrowed her head into her unusually hard mattress, she remarked at the wonderful new smells wafting through her nose. She sighed as her mind registered the smell of salt air with a hint of fresh pine. She smiled to herself as she reached her hand to place under her head, her brow furrowed, as her hands felt gritty against the sheets. When she ran her hand along her bed, she gasped as she could feel sand covering her entire bed. _What the—_

Her eyes snapped open in alarm and she immediately felt herself recoil in fear as she took in her surroundings. She was no longer at home in her nice soft and warm bed. She was lying on a deserted beach, the sky a dim gray. To her left was a dense dark forest and to her right was the vast expanse of open waters.

As her eyes scanned the area around her, the entire night came flashing before her in one instant. She felt her body tremble as she remembered that darkness ripping her from her bedroom and towering high quickly into the night. Her breathing became more rapid as she recalled Miranda's lifeless face as she lay unconscious on the floor—shattered glass all around her.

Jessica stood slowly, her eyes squinting as she tried to see if she could see any sign of a boat in the waters. As her eyes scanned the horizon, she tried to figure out where in the world she could possibly be. Although she highly doubted that she was on some island in Tahiti, she couldn't help but hope that was the case. The idea of lying on a beach and drinking fruity cocktails made her smile slightly. As she took in another deep breath, she began to wonder if this was just a dream. She crouched down and ran her hands through the sand. If this was truly just a dream—then it was remarkable at how real everything felt and smelled.

The sound of a branch breaking shook Jessica out of her thoughts. She froze and felt her heart stop as she scanned the shadowy forest for any sign of movement. The thought of that mysterious dark creature coming for her once more made her blood run cold. She looked towards her feet and saw a piece of driftwood lying on the ground. She grabbed it and armed herself, waiting to strike whatever was to come out of the thick greenery.

She felt herself exhale as she saw a young boy come out of the clearing.

She lowered her weapon and began to walk towards the boy, relief flooding through her body, as she was grateful that she was not alone on this island. "Hey! I need your help." As she took off in a slight jog, she tossed her stick and waved at the boy.

The boy was wearing layers of dark green and brown clothing. Upon further inspection, Jessica could see that the boy was wearing an eye patch over his left eye. The boy looked behind him before coming forward from the bushes and stepping onto the beach. The boy looked her up and down before furrowing his brow in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm lost and I don't know where I am." Jessica continued to walk closer to the boy. She held up her hands and stopped just a few feet in front of the boy. "Please… can you just tell me where I am?"

The boy lifted his chin in the air and smiled slightly. "This is Neverland."

"Never—" Jessica threw her head back and began to laugh heartily. "Yeah…sure. And let me guess… _you're_ Peter Pan?" She finally came to the conclusion that she was in fact dreaming. She needed to not fall asleep while reading. As Jessica continued to laugh at the boy, she did not realize that the boy in front of her was getting more and more agitated. He lowered his head and glared at Jessica.

"I am _no_ Peter Pan!" The boy reached into his cloak and pulled out a wooden club. Jessica felt herself gulp as she noticed the dried red patches darkening the head of the club. She held up her hands and started to back away slowly.

"Hey—hey… easy kid. I didn't mean to laugh." She glanced towards the ground, desperately trying to find the piece of driftwood she had in her hands earlier. She felt her stomach drop when she saw that it was a good distance away. She quickly scanned the ground for any type of weapon to use against the boy. She looked back at him and tried to get back on his good side. "Look… It's just that… _Neverland_ isn't real. It's just a story in one of my books."

Jessica tried to remain calm as she continued to back away from the young boy. She didn't trust him. She also could not believe that this boy knew what he was saying. There was no possible way for Neverland to be real. And if it was a real place… it was nothing like this. She tried to keep telling herself that she was just dreaming, and in any moment she was going to wake up at home, safe in her bed.

The boy walked away from the bushes, tapping the head of his club in his hand—taunting her. "I don't know what story it is you're talking about… but Neverland is just as real as you or me." The boy put his fingers to his lips and whistled loudly, causing Jessica to jump in alarm. Suddenly, the bushes behind him began to rustle as one by one, boy after boy would walk onto the beach, each brandishing a different type of club.

Jessica gasped as she looked back down to the ground, desperately hoping that there would be a rock or a stick or _anythin_g to protect herself. The boy smiled as he stalked Jessica like she were his prey. "My name is Nibs… and these boys behind me…" he nodded his head to the crowd of boys standing around him.

_Nibs? _She looked at all the boys and felt disbelief. _They couldn't possibly be_… "The lost boys?" She could not believe that this vicious and terrifying group of boys was the famous lost boys. They were not the kids in that were in her beloved book, kids that were full of joyfulness and innocence. Jessica saw something glimmer out of the corner of her eye. She prayed that it was something that would help her. She looked up into the eyes of Nibs, and started to inch closer to the shining object on the ground. Upon further inspection, she saw that it was a sharp piece of conch shell that had broken apart.

Nibs laughed as he took his club and rested it upon his shoulders. "Aye… and it's hunting season." Nibs raised his club and pointed it towards Jessica. The boys around him started to ululate loudly. As the boys began to run towards her, Jessica made a mad dash for the broken piece of shell that was on the ground. When she picked it up, she took off into a sprint across the beach, the boys continuing to howl and laugh as they chased after her.

She ran until she reached the dense forest on the other side of the beach. She ran through the tall bushes and immediately jumped over a low hanging branch before veering right and sprinting through the forest. As she went deeper and deeper into the forest, the sounds of the boys running behind her were growing more and more faint as she ran further and further ahead of the savage hoard of boys chasing after her. At that moment in time she was extremely grateful that her school forced her to do Physical Education every day. Although her heart was pounding out of her chest, she ran through the forest with great ease.

She turned towards the left and began climbing over a large fallen tree that was blocking the beaten path. As she climbed over the tree, she noticed that it was hollow inside. She gasped at the sound of a branch breaking behind her. She turned and held up her weapon in defense. She exhaled shakily as she saw a white rabbit pause in the middle of the path and look up at her. It wrinkled its nose at her before darting into the bushes and out of sight. She quickly slid down the front of the tree and ran around to climb inside. As she crouched inside the tree, she tried to slow her breathing as she clutched the shell in her hands.

She closed her eyes as she felt her body begin tremble uncontrollably. She was absolutely petrified. _This cannot be possible_. She could not believe that she was truly in Neverland. There was no other possible explanation than the fact that she was dreaming. She closed her eyes tighter as she wished herself to wake up from this cruel nightmare. As she pinched her arm hard, hoping to snap herself back into reality, she almost screamed as she heard the sound of footsteps on top of the tree she was hiding in. She covered her mouth with one hand as she tightly gripped the shell with her other hand, preparing herself for the worst.

_"Where'd she go?"_

Jessica registered the voice of a young boy speaking. She figured that the light footsteps above hers were that of the boy speaking. She remarked at how young and innocent he sounded. He sounded as if he were playing a game of hide and seek as opposed to hunting her down for slaughter. She jumped at the sound of two loud, heavy footsteps above her head. She slowed her breathing as the footsteps paced slowly above her. For a moment she was almost sure that the person above her knew she was hiding mere inches away.

_"I think she went that a way!"_

Jessica paled at the sound of Nibs' voice. The boys started to ululate once more as they all bounded over the tree, unaware of what was hiding quietly within. After the last footstep fell and all became quiet around her, Jessica closed her eyes and tried desperately to hear anything around her. She winced as she felt the shell she was holding cut into her palm. After what felt like a long period of time went by, Jessica crawled out from the hollow of the tree and looked around her.

She could not see any lost boy in sight. All that was around her was dense forestry, and the sounds of warbling birds in high above in the treetops. She took a few steps forward as she peered in front of her. _They're gone._ She sighed as she felt her nerves start to calm. She took a step forward and felt her foot catch against something on the ground. She looked down at her foot and saw that she had tripped over a green vine. She felt her body tense as she cringed.

"Oh shit…"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Jessica was shot into the air as woven netting surrounded her, trapping her high in the tree tops. As she bounced in the air in the hidden trap she tried to pull at the bindings, looking for a way out of the net. As she pulled forcefully at the rope, Jessica was startled when she heard the sound of laughter beneath her feet.

She looked behind her on the ground, and saw Nibs walking into the clearing. His smile grew wide as he looked up in the air and saw that Jessica was caught in the trap. One by one, the lost boys began to fill the clearing, all of them cheering as they looked up at their capture. Nibs walked until he was standing directly underneath Jessica and raised his club in the air. He howled in delight as he jumped up and down. "We got her!"

Jessica trembled as she watched all the boys below her screaming in delight, feeling helpless and frightened. As the shouts started to wane, Nibs walked to the edge of the clearing and pulled out a horn that was attached to his belt. He put the end to his lips and then blew through the mouthpiece, sending a loud deep note through the woods.

She looked at the shell in her hands and then back at the netting. She knew that she wouldn't be able to cut through the netting fast enough. She also knew that it was a stupid idea to cut through the netting to only just fall 20 feet down to the ground right in the middle of the hoard she was trying to escape. She knew she was trapped. She took the shell and discretely put it behind her and secured it in the waistband of her pants, hiding it from sight.

She heard the sounds of footsteps coming from the right of her and a hooded figure came out into the open. He walked over to Nibs, patting him on the back as he whispered something into his ear. Jessica crouched in the net and tried to hear what their next plan of attack would be.

The hooded figure took a step back and looked up at her. She could see that the boy was much older, and with the scar that was marring the side of his face, this new boy was a thousand times scarier than Nibs. She gulped at the boy walked over to the vine holding her in the air. He pulled out a machete and gave her one last grin before he cut through the vine, causing Jessica to fall to the ground quickly. Jessica gasped as she closed her eyes and prepared herself for the impact with the ground below. When she made contact with the ground, she groaned as a sharp pain went through her backside. The older boy laughed as he walked towards her.

"Good catch boys…"

* * *

_Katarina ran swiftly through the woods, her hair billowing behind her in long waves as she hurried through the forest. With every few steps that she made she would glance back in fear, praying that she was as far away from_ him_ as possible. As she rounded the bend she could see the village in sight_. _She was feeling hopeful as she knew she was almost there. __She inhaled sharply as she heard a twig snap behind her. She hiked up her dress higher and willed her feet to move quicker._

_Her heart began to race as she could feel him getting closer and closer to her. She could hear his feet behind her, staying always a few steps behind her, taunting her. She hated the feeling of false security that he was making her feel. She knew that she was his prey, and all it would take is one mistake on her part and she would be caught. He was faster, that was sure. She was definitely more agile than he was, and she wanted to play that to her advantage. It was the only way._

_She looked ahead and saw a wide flowing river in the distance. As she neared closer to the fast flowing waters, her heart skipped a beat, for she could see rocks protruding out of the water. She knew that it was her only chance of escaping from him. Without looking back, she sprinted towards the water and leaped to the first rock. She bounded from rock to rock, her balance being put to the test as she hiked her dress up higher, freeing her feet from it's constraint. As she leapt off of the last rock and onto the riverbank, her spirits soared as she heard the sound of someone falling into the water. As he cursed loudly, Katarina took one last look at him before running down the road and into the village._

_She pushed through the hoards of people filling the square. The sounds of fiddles and flutes filled her ears as she tried to avoid all of the happy villagers enjoying in the festival. Little kids ran past her as the screamed in delight towards the puppet show that was starting by the fountain. As she pushed past an older man walking towards her, he turned and raised his fist in the air as he grumbled loudly after her. "AY! WATCH IT!"_

_Katarina refused to let this man slow her down. She needed to find someplace safe to hide and she needed to do it quick. She knew that falling into the river would only slow him down and just make him angrier. He would never give up the chase. He would find her… he always did. As she turned the corner and passed the flower shop she heard the sound of someone calling her. "Pssst!"_

_She turned and saw an old woman beckoning her to come close. She pointed to the table filled with baskets of red roses and lifted the burlap cloth that was covering it. "Get in!"_

_Katarina looked back towards the crowd of people. As she saw the people rejoicing in their merriment, she could see a dark figure push through the crowd. Katarina gulped as she recognized the figure pushing through the crowds and ran towards the old woman and ducked under the table out of sight._

_She sat under the covering of the burlap tarp, her heart feeling as if it were beating out of her chest. She could see the feet of people who were passing by her. She crouched down low as she tried to recognize the feet of all the people passing by. She tried to slow her breathing as she tried to calm her nerves. _Perhaps he's gone…_ She wondered to herself._

_The sight of his dark brown boots walking slowly past her hiding spot made her inhale sharply. She covered her hand over her mouth, realizing the mistake she made. She saw his feet stop in its tracks and she felt her heart stop. The feet slowly pivoted towards her and stood there. She kept her eyes focused on his feet and prayed that he did not hear her. After what felt like a lifetime, he turned away and slowly walked away out of sight._

_Katarina waited until she thought he was long gone before she peeked her head out from under the tarp. She looked up at the old woman and saw that she was handing a red rose to a young girl who was standing with her mother. The little girl blushed as she reached up and took the rose into her hands and thanked the old woman. Katarina looked around and crawled out from under the table. She dusted herself off before walking down the cobbled street, her eyes scanning the crowd as she tried to—_

_Katarina screamed as she felt herself being pulled from the crowd and into a dark alley. She struggled against his grip as he pulled her in close. He leaned down and whispered into her hear, "Got ya…" His warm breath sent shivers across her skin._

_Katarina pulled from his grasp and pushed him hard on the chest. "My god Malcolm! You scared the hell out of me!" She straightened her dress as she glared at him. His green eyes twinkling as he smiled wide at her. She crossed her arms over her chest as she frowned at him._

_Malcolm laughed as he leaned against the stone wall. "Oh… you're just mad that I caught you Kat." He looked down at her with a smug look on his face._

_Katarina furrowed her brow as she scowled at him. She lifted her hand and pointed her finger at him. "I almost _had_ you!" She looked him up and down and felt herself smile slightly as she could see that his clothes were still damp from the unexpected plunge in the river. "Have a good swim, Mal?"_

_Malcolm crossed his arms over his chest as he gave her a sideways smirk. "You're going to pay for that."_

_Katarina tried not to smile as she continued to stare down Malcolm. She crossed her arms over her chest as she mimicked his stance on the opposite wall. Her eyes continued to lock onto Malcolm's, not wanting to be the first to break the stare._

_After a moment, Malcolm chuckled as he pushed away from the wall. He walked over to her slowly, not breaking eye contact. He reached under his vest and pulled out a red rose. He held the flower up to her cheek before running it down the side of her face softly._

_Katarina raised her eyebrow as she looked up at Malcolm, remembering the old woman who helped her hide. "You knew where I was… Didn't you?"_

_Malcolm ran the rose down her neck as he smiled. "I always know." He leaned down and placed his lips lightly against hers. Katarina smiled as she lifted her hands and wrapped them along the side of his neck, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss._

* * *

Jessica screamed as she was thrown into the wooden cage. She scrambled to the back of the cage and kicked out her feet. "Leave me alone! Get away from me!"

The boy with the scarred face chuckled as he shut the door of the cage. He turned towards Nibs. "This one seems like she was a lot of fun to catch."

Nibs nodded as he tucked his horn back into his belt. "Yeah she gave quite a chase that's for sure."

"Please don't hurt me!" Jessica screamed from behind the wooden bars.

The boys looked at each other, smiling, before looking back down at Jessica. "We ain't going to hurt you." Nibs crouched down so he was face to face with her. "We was just having some fun… that's all. A little bit o' cat an' mouse never hurt nobody." Nibs stood and patted the other boy on the back. "Ready Felix?"

Felix nodded as he raised his hand and gestured for them to follow him. As Felix began to walk into the forest, Jessica felt the cage be lifted off the ground by a few lost boys and followed after Felix. Jessica leaned forward and called out to the leader. "Where are you taking me?"

Felix continued to look straight ahead as he smirked. "Why to Pan of course."

Jessica felt herself becoming lightheaded as the world around her started to spin. She exhaled as he began to fall backwards in the cage, the world around her becoming black.


	4. Chapter 4

_"Wake up my angel"_

Jessica pulled the baby pink comforter higher above her head as she tried not to giggle. She could feel her mother tugging at the top of the comforter, trying to pull it down from her face. Jessica giggled loudly as she burrowed deeper in the bed.

_"You need to wake up my little angel."_

Jessica shook her head as she squealed. "No!" She closed her eyes tightly as she continued to fight her mother's pulling on the blankets.

Her mother pulled away from the blankets, causing Jessica to furrow her brow as she wondered why her mother decided to relent. She held her breath as she lowered the blanket slowly, peeking out from under the blanket. She held her breath as she slowly scanned the room.

Swiftly her mother ripped the blanket off of the bed, causing Jessica to squeal in laughter. She closed her eyes tightly and covered her hands over her eyes. Jessica could feel her mother tugging on her daughter's hands as she laughed along with her. "Open your eyes…"

"No!" She squirmed in her mother's grasp as she kept her eyes closed.

_"Angel… open your eyes."_

Jessica shook her head as she continued to struggle against her persistent mother.

_"Open your eyes."_

Jessica could begin to hear birds chirping in the distance. She could hear the sounds of boys' laughter in the distance. She tilted her head as she started to stop struggling. "Mommy... What's that noise?" She asked hesitantly.

"OPEN YOUR EYES!"

* * *

Jessica inhaled sharply as all of the sounds and smells around her flooded her senses. She could hear birds chirping above her gently while the smell of pine and oak wafted through her nose. The sights and sounds of nature calming her slightly. She looked above her head and saw that she was no longer in the wooden cage that Nibs and Felix put her in. She could see that she was beneath a thatched roof with branches and burnt orange leaves peeking through the cracks. She peered out towards the large open doorway in front of her. She could see the tops of trees and she concluded that she was in a tree house.

She slowly glanced around the room and saw that the space was illuminated by flame-lit lanterns on the walls. As the light flickered, her eyes focused on something shining across the room. There were gold trinkets and jewels cluttered all over the shelving and tables throughout the room. She could see various knives of all shapes and sizes mounted on the wall. She gulped as she remembered the red stains upon the lost boys' weapons. She tried to block out all the damage that was done with the weaponry that was hung on the wall with care, as if they were trophies. Her eyes went from the weapons on the wall to the piles of books that were placed in stacks on the ground by the desk. She squinted as she tried to read the titles on the spines of the books. The titles _Catcher in the Rye, Frankenstein, _and_ A Tale of Two Cities _were but some of the titles of the books in the large stack. Seeing those classics resting next to the brutish weaponry felt off, for she never would have guessed that they belonged to the same owner.

As Jessica turned, she could feel something soft brush against the side of her face. She sat up gently and looked to where she was lying. She saw that she was resting upon a soft bed of different animal furs, with one draped over her lightly, keeping her warm from the cold air. She wondered why there was such a sudden change in her living arrangements. One moment she was caged as if she were an animal and the next she was lounging in this soft bed as if she were a valued guest. Whose guest… she was not quite sure.

She could hear the sounds of boys laughing and chattering in the distance below her. From an outsider, it sounded as if a bunch of young boys were innocently playing and rough housing. To her, she knew better. She soon stilled because below her, she could hear Felix speaking at the base of the tree.

_"What do you think he wants with her?"_

_"Who knows…"_

Jessica leaned over the bed and peeked through the wooden floorboards. She could see Felix sitting underneath the tree, sharpening the end of an arrow. He was talking to Nibs, who was pacing in front of him quickly at the base of the tree. She leaned closer towards the floor so that she could hear their conversation better.

* * *

Nibs shook his head as he leaned against the large oak tree. "He's wastin' his time." Nibs crossed his arms over his chest as he exhaled loudly. When the two of them came back from bringing in the girl, he was a little more than surprised that Pan had ordered her to be immediately taken out of the cage. He was even more surprised when he then instructed them to put her in his tree house for the time being.

Felix smirked slightly as he sat on top of the large tree branch at the base of the tree. He struck a rock against the end of his arrow, sharpening the tip. "We need to trust Pan." He held up the tip of the arrowhead and blew on it softly.

Nibs scoffed. "What we NEED to be doin' is bringing Henry here so that this can be over and done with," he spoke with annoyance. He was tired of this. Ever since they got word that the boy was found and that the magic in Neverland would soon be fully restored, he was more gung ho than ever to spring into action. But all that they have been doing is sitting and waiting; Waiting to hear word from the outside world that Henry was in Neverland. Patience, however, was never one of his strong suits and with every moment wasted in milling around, Nibs grew more and more agitated. He felt ready to strike. Playing with that girl only curbed his hunger. Now knowing that she was hidden away like some special entity only made him more impatient. He was growing bored of this forsaken island. Since the magic was dwindling, Pan decreed that using its magic would only be limited to him and him alone. Nibs couldn't wish for something to excite him anymore. He was tired of being at Pan's will.

Felix continued to smirk as he resumed sharpening the tip of his arrow, completely ignoring the irritation spilling out of Nibs. "Those fools from out there are doing that for us. We need to just be patient and just follow Pan's plan."

"That's right… _my _plan."

Nibs cringed as Peter Pan came out from the shadows of the large oak tree. He smirked as he strolled towards the two boys, putting his hands in his pockets as he did so. His head was held high as he walked with an air of confidence around him. Both Nibs and Felix bowed their heads slightly as they stepped away from the tree.

"Did you have fun?" Pan walked to Nibs and stood next to him underneath the tree house, his back resting upon the large tree.

Nibs cleared his throat as he fidgeted in his place. "We didn't mean anythin' by it. We was just havin' some fun."

Pan continued to grin at the lost boy. The more and more Peter Pan continued to stare at the lost boy, the more Nibs would fidget in his spot. Nibs was about to say something more when Pan walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder. "Nonsense… I am a firm believer of having fun. After all… why else are you here in Neverland?"

Nibs looked at Peter and then to Felix. Felix watched the two of them converse, his concentration no longer on the weapon in his hand. Nibs looked back at Pan. Nibs tried to gage Pan's mood. Pan stood there, his eyes remaining firm on Nibs. Nibs started to laugh nervously as he nodded his head. "You know what? You're right! We was just having fun!"

Pan kept his hand on his shoulder as he looked down at Nibs, standing straighter as he towered over the boy. He nudged him on the shoulder. "So how was it?"

Nibs smiled as he raised his eyebrows. "The chase? It was pretty amazing! She almost outran us but we know this land much better than her. It wasn't long before we caught her though. She was sure shakin'! Almost clubbed her over the head to put her out of her misery."

Pan tilted his head as he put his arm onto Nibs' shoulder. He began to wince slightly as he felt Pan's grip tighten. "I bet you loved that didn't you? Watching her cower in fear? How about the rest of the lost boys? Did they love your little game also?"

Nibs looked back to Felix. Hoping to receive any type of guidance. He felt the change in Pan's anger. He could feel it radiating off of his body. He glanced to the sky and saw it darken as clouds began to black out the night sky. The sound of thunder in the distance made Nibs shudder. He felt Pan grip his shoulder harder, causing him to look back at him, fear quickly starting to overtake him. "I—I—"

"I wonder if they want to have another go at it?" Peter asked quietly, venom clinging to every word as he narrowed his gaze on Nibs, his smile staying firmly in place.

Nibs looked up to the bottom of Pan's tree house and he could see a shadow fall between the cracks. As the shadow moved slightly he knew that the girl was watching, probably enjoying the show below her. Pan pushed Nib's sharply against the tree, causing Nibs to shriek. Pan leaned forward and narrowed his gaze at Nibs. "I think the boys need something a little more to chase than one little girl. Don't you agree?"

"Umm…." Nibs looked to Felix once more in panic, praying for any kind of sign that he would help him. Felix smirked as he watched Nibs unfold in front of Pan.

Pan, keeping his grip tight on Nibs, turned and brought his fingers to his lips and whistled loudly. "Everyone gather around. I think it's time for us to have a little fun!"

The lost boys came running towards Pan, the smiles were wide on their faces as they circled around Pan and Nibs.

Pan grabbed Nibs and threw him down onto the ground in front of the lost boys, laughing as the boy struggled to crawl away. Pan placed his foot on his upper back and pushed him down further into the hard dirt, halting him in his place. "I kind of like the little game you had earlier." He spoke to the crowd of boys in front of him. "But I _think_ it's time to up the odds. Make it a bit more…exciting!"

The boys laughed and whooped in unison as they awaited Pan's command. Nibs began to shake as he felt his life flash before his eyes. He knew that the next thing out of Pan's mouth would not be good for him.

Pan waited for the crowd to become silent before he said his next words. "I will grant one wish to the person who finds your next prey." As the boys began to murmur to each other, he could see the desperation starting to rise from the noise. He withheld magic from the boys. He wanted to conserve the last of what magic he had. He didn't want it to run out before he even had a chance with the boy. But now… he knew it wouldn't hurt to entice the boys. Teach Nibs a lesson.

A small figure pushed through the crowd. "Anything?" The young boy looked to Pan with curiosity. He looked to be no more than 6 or 7 years of age.

Pan nodded as he crouched to the boy's eye level. "Aye my boy… anything your heart desires."

The boy smiled as he looked to the other boys around him, their excitement growing as they all began to think of the one thing they wanted most. As the boys continued to murmur elatedly, a boy from the back of the crowd spoke up. "And what is our prey?"

Pan laughed as he kicked Nibs, so that he turned to his back, grasping at his stomach as he coughed. "Him." Pan knelt down so that he was right next to Nibs' head. "I'd start running if I were you."

Nibs wasted no time in rising from the ground and fleeing off into a sprint towards the dark woods. The boys stood at the ready, grabbing their weapons as they watched Nibs disappear into the distance. It wasn't until Nibs turned the corner and was out of sight did Pan raise his arm. "Have at it boys…"

* * *

Jessica gasped loudly as she scrambled back into the safety of the bed. She placed the fur blanket up over her head, hiding herself from view. Although she knew it was useless since she was certain that Peter Pan had heard her cry for Nibs, she still took solace in the little security hiding underneath the blanket provided. She thought of how when she was younger, she would play this hiding game with her mother. She did not feel any better knowing that it was a game that she almost always lost. She turned to her side, facing away from the door and closed her eyes tightly. If she couldn't hide from him, the least she could do was pretend that she was asleep. She softened her breathing so that she could hear the sounds around her.

As she waited and waited to hear his footsteps, she was beginning to feel anxious as she was not hearing anything but the light chirping of the birds in the trees around her. She opened her eyes as she peeked over the top of the fur blanket. As she turned her head and looked across the room, she exhaled in relief as she concluded that he was not in the room. _Maybe he didn't hear me after all._

"Have a good rest?"

Jessica screamed as she heard Peter Pan's voice high above her head. She looked up and saw that Peter Pan was floating in the air above her, lying on his back with his hands placed leisurely behind his head. He laughed as she scrambled off the bed, landing on the ground with a big thud.

"Careful… you don't want to fall." He continued to laugh as he watched her run her hand along her backside, soothing the spot on her body where she landed hard on the wooden floor.

Jessica looked up at him in awe and in fright. "You—you—you're… you're _flying_!" She pointed to where he was floating. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe any of this. She kept telling herself over and over again that people didn't fly. They were incapable of doing so. This just couldn't be real. It just couldn't.

Pan looked down at her and smirked. "My…my… aren't we the observant one."

"Where am I?" Jessica demanded as she backed away from him slowly, making sure to keep her eyes locked on him floating above her.

"For someone being so observant you sure can't believe what someone says right to your face." He floated down to the floor and walked towards her slowly, putting his hands in his pockets casually. "Take a look over the balcony and tell me what you see." He held out his hand

Jessica looked to him before turning her head and looking to the open doorway. She rose slowly and walked over to the wooden railing. Below her she could see various tents and fire rings. She could hear boys laughing in the distance. She looked and saw a group of boys sword fighting while another group worked on their target practice with a bow and arrow, high-fiving with every bull's-eye that was hit. She noticed that all of the boys were of varying ages, but none of them seemed over the age of 18. They were all young and full of rowdiness and mischief.

All the boys seemed to be lost in their games and their fun. They had no care in the world as they played with one another and laughed heartily. They were operated under the fact that they had no rules holding them down. They had an independent air about them. They lived in a world where they could run wild and not be held down by the expectations of society. All her life, Jessica thought that that world only existed in her storybook. That it wasn't real…an allegory teaching kids that everyone has to grow up. But as she looked around her now, she couldn't deny how real everything indeed was.

She felt all of the air leave her chest as she fully let everything sink in. "So… it is true…. I'm in…"

She could feel Pan's breath along the back of her neck. "Neverland." He spoke to her in a hushed tone.

She gulped as she looked at him, her eyes locking onto his. "And… and you are…" She knew the answer. She was just afraid of uttering those words. As if saying it out loud made everything more real.

She felt Pan brush against her as he placed his right hand next to hers on the wooden railing. He leaned in towards her as he smiled. He placed his lips against her ear before he whispered softly. "Peter Pan."

Jessica cringed as she pushed Pan away roughly, glaring at him with a new fire in her eyes. "Then what the hell do you want with me?"

Pan stumbled away from her as he brushed himself off. "My…my… I guess manners are unbecoming of ladies now days."

"Manners?" She pointed her finger at Peter. "How can I have good _manners_ when you treat me like an animal?" She began to turn red as she let all of her fear from before turn into white-hot rage.

Pan scoffed as he put his hand on his chest with mock hurt. Jessica seethed at his mockery. "An animal?" Pan guffawed as he gestured around the room. "Why… aren't you the one inhabiting my tree house, resting upon my bed with all the soft furs keeping you warm?"

"Aren't _you_ the one that had me chased through the forest, hunted for _sport_, and then caged like a wild animal?" Her voice started to rise as she let the anger flow through her body, giving her strength to verbally attack Peter. She knew that it wasn't a good idea to yell at him. From the way that he disposed of Nibs, Jessica couldn't even imagine what he would do to her.

"Actually… it was the lost boys." Peter watched her as she stood there dumbfounded. He loved dancing around her questions. Jessica shook her head as she rolled her eyes.

"You know what I meant. They were under your command and because _you_ are in charge of them then it is _you're _fault."

He raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, observing her. He was remarkably delighted by her words. "Well… I guess the lady does have a point." He strolled over to his bed and threw himself back upon the soft furs. He stretched as he reached into his pouch and grabbed his pipe. He held the instrument up to his lips and started to play softly.

Jessica looked at him incredulously. "Are you kidding me? Aren't you even going to say you're sorry? Or if you are too proud to do so to at least make those boys apologize to me?"

Pan paused in his playing and looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Now why would I do that?"

Jessica crossed her arms over her chest. "You said I had a point."

"Yes… that you were indeed treated like an animal and not like a guest. It has been handled." He put the pipe back to his lips and continued to play the soft tones.

Jessica felt herself begin to calm as she looked at Peter. She shook her head and closed her eyes. _No! You are MAD._ She walked up to the bed. "They tied me up and threw me in a cage!"

"Are you dead?" He played another joyful note.

"Excuse me?" Jessica asked.

Peter repeated his question. "Are…you…dead? It is but a simple question."

"Of course I am not dead! I'm standing right here talking to you." Jessica hissed.

He chuckled as he put the instrument back up to his lips. "Then like I said… it has been taken care of. Just relax… you're so…_tense_."

Jessica grumbled loudly in exasperation as she threw her hands up in the air. "Typical." She pointed her finger at Pan. "It wouldn't kill you to apologize you know."

Peter Pan shrugged as he continued to play his pipe.

Jessica began to pace back and forth in front of him. "Don't patronize me!" she belted. She was so angry that she was brought here and was even more irate that he still never answered her question as to why she was brought here in the first place. With the more he played, the more she paced like a caged lion. As the notes quickened their pace and started to become deeper in pitch, her body began to fill warm as she closed her eyes and put her hands through her hair, tugging at the strands hard, the pain fueling her fire. She opened her eyes and glowered at Pan as he sat the on the bed and casually played his tunes, completely uncaring of her unfortunate rise of her temper. As she was about to burst and scream out her rage…

Pan's tune changed.

Instead of quick and deep powerful notes, it changed to a higher pitched tone that seemed to bubble out of the pipe. As the music danced out of his instrument, Jessica felt butterflies fill her stomach. She looked at Pan in confusion, as she no longer felt ready to burst with anger. Instead she felt the butterflies rise from deep within her stomach and up through her chest. She tilted her head at the sudden change in emotion. _What the…_ As Jessica was about to ask Pan what was going on with her, she felt herself hiccup. Next came a giggle. Then came a laugh. Then came another. And as she tried to stop the third laugh, out came a snort.

Jessica paused as she looked to Pan. He raised an eyebrow as he watched her turn red with embarrassment. He played a loud note mimicking her snort. That was all it took for her to hold onto her stomach as she started to laugh and snort uncontrollably. She had no idea why she was laughing so hard but all she knew was that she was unable to stop her laughing.

Pan sat up on the bed as he watched her fall onto the ground, her face turning red from all her laughter. "Having fun now are we?" Pan chimed.

Jessica nodded as she tried to sit up. She felt drunk and sloppy. When her hand slipped on the ground, causing her to fall back to her back, she resumed laughing, only this time much harder. "I—can't—Stop—Laughing!"

"Want me to help you calm down?" Peter asked, his voice enticing her as she rolled onto her side.

"Yes! I don't know…Ha Ha Ha… what's wrong with me!" She had no idea as to why she was unable to control her emotions. Just a few moments ago she was upset and irate. And now she was giggling like a child. Was it something in the air?

Peter looked delighted with her answer. He put the pipe back to his lips, resuming the music. After a few moments the music changed, slowly at first, to a softer and deeper melody. As his lips smoothly danced across the pipe, Jessica felt the butterflies in her stomach disperse, leaving something else in its wake. The feeling in the pit of her stomach caused goose bumps to form on her skin. She moaned softly as the heat in her stomach started to migrate in waves down to her soft core, causing her to undulate as the heat pulsed between her thighs.

Pan chuckled lightly as he sat back against the pillows and watched her lose herself once again in the music. Jessica rose from the ground as she felt her pulse quicken. She closed her eyes as she ran her hands up her body, sighing at the feel of her soft hands against her skin. Her body began to sway slowly. Her feet started to pull her forward towards the bed. When she reached the end of the bed, she opened her eyes and gazed into Pan's. He lifted his head, letting his music draw her nearer as if he were some magical snake charmer.

She felt her body pull onto the bed. She crawled slowly to Pan, stopping once she was hovering above him, her face inches from his.

_"Why can no one else hear your music?"_

Pan lowered the pipe from his lips, his eyes piercing into hers as he moistened his tongue with his lips. He held up his hand and ran it through her hair, slowly ensnaring his fingers around her neck and pulling her closer to his lips. Jessica closed her eyes as she felt all the air leave her lungs.

_"It calls to people. It calls to _special_ people who only want one thing in this world."_

As she felt Pan's breath against her lips, she parted her lips slightly, inviting him to go further.

_"To not be filled with loneliness…"_

Jessica's eyes opened. As his lips was about to touch hers, she pulled away. Her brow furrowing as she came to the realization as to why she was here.

"That was you."

Pan sat back as he shrugged. The lust from his eyes gone and that puckish air about him returned once more.

Jessica sat back on her heels as she recalled his music when she first saw him at her school. Back then it felt like he was just playing with her. Now she knew that he was calling her. Hypnotizing her and putting her under his spell. And he used his music to do so. She didn't understand then, but now she knew that he had wanted her…and that was why she was here. For what purpose, however, was another question. Suddenly a name flashed through her mind. The name he spoke when he first laid eyes on her.

"Who is Katrina?"

She waited for any kind of recognition to flash across his face, anything to give her a hint as to who that person was to him. As he continued to stare at her with that mischievous smile across his face, she remembered how he apprehensively trailed his hand up her cheek. He looked like he was remembering a distant memory, one that he never thought he'd think of again. Now he just looked at her like she was a 5-year-old speaking nonsense. She decided to play off his emotions once more.

"Who was she to you? What happened to her?" she inquired.

Pan continued to look at her, his face masked with that dark smirk. He titled his head as he crossed his arms over his chest. As he lifted up his chin, he seemed to contemplate her. He took a deep breath as his smirk faltered slightly. He closed his eyes as his lowered slightly. He opened his eyes. "Katrina…"

The sounds of footsteps bounding up the wooden staircase jolted Jessica and Pan out of their conversation. Pan and Jessica turned their heads and watched as Felix bounded into the room, a broad grin on his face. "He's here."

Pan smiled wickedly as he sat up. Jessica backed to the edge of the bed. She was disturbed by the look on his face, for it chilled her to the core with its darkness. Pan rose from the bed and walked towards Felix. When he reached the door her turned his head and looked to a frightened Jessica. "Another time."

And with that he lifted off of the ground and flew out of the tree house and disappeared into the night.

* * *

**Author's Note:** _Sorry sorry sorry for the late posting! I got swept up in the holidays and was trying to get over a vicious cold. Now that I've overcome a little writer's block I'm back in the game! And as always thank you so much for your reviews :) They keep me going during the times where I think I'm writing caca. Thank you! _


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